Football: €160m Coutinho joins Barca in 'dream come true' but out three weeks with thigh injury

Barcelona's new midfielder Philippe Coutinho posing for a picture ahead of his unveiling at the club, on Jan 7, 2018. PHOTO: AFP

BARCELONA (AFP) - Philippe Coutinho will not be able to make his debut for Barcelona until the end of January because he has a thigh injury, the club said on Monday.

"Coutinho has an injury to his right thigh and he is expected to be out for around three weeks," Barcelona said on their website.

The 25-year-old officially joined on Monday, completing a move from Liverpool thought to be worth €160 million (S$255.6 million), making it the third-highest transfer in history.

He signed a contract in a ceremony alongside Barca president Josep Maria Bartomeu. The Brazil midfielder could in theory make his debut on Jan 28, when Alaves visit the Camp Nou in La Liga.

He was presented to the world's media after Barca coach Ernesto Valverde predicted the Brazilian would comfortably fit into a team already containing global superstar Lionel Messi.

In a video message on Sunday showing Coutinho posing for photographers at the Camp Nou wearing a Barcelona jacket, he said: "I want to play, win trophies and make the supporters happy. Those are my objectives.

"Barca fans, I'm here now. It's a dream come true!"

Coutinho has agreed on a deal to 2023 and is looking forward to playing alongside Messi, Luis Suarez and Andres Iniesta.

He described them as well as club stalwarts Gerard Pique and Sergio Busquets as "idols".

Coutinho has already lined up alongside Suarez for 18 months at Liverpool before the Uruguayan made the same move to Spain in 2014.

"Everybody knows about his quality. He has been playing at the highest level for years now and that is important," said Suarez.

"Now we need to make sure he feels at home because we know that changing club is always difficult, but I think he is the type of player who will fit well into the team."

Valverde admitted that it would be a challenge shoehorning his new recruit into a squad already running away with the Spanish title.

"Coutinho is a player who I think can bring a lot to us," said Valverde. "He's an important signing.

"I have seen him play in various positions - on the right, the left, in the middle, on the wings. We will evaluate all of this... but, of course, I don't think he will play as a goalkeeper!"

The timing of Barca's move for Coutinho has been questioned because he will not be able to play in the Champions League, having already featured in the competition for Liverpool this season.

But he is likely to be used to give 33-year-old Iniesta a rest, keeping the veteran midfielder fresh for the Champions League.

Blow for Liverpool

The swoop for Coutinho - which contains a €400 million release clause - is the third biggest transfer in football history, outranked only by Paris Saint-Germain's world record €222 million signing of Neymar from Barcelona last year, and their capture of French striker Kylian Mbappe for a deal eventually worth €180 million.

Rio-born Coutinho arrived at Liverpool from Inter Milan for a mere £8.5 million (S$15.3 million) in January 2013 and scored 54 goals for the club in all competitions, although he won no silverware during his five-year stay at Anfield.

Barcelona had tried to sign Coutinho last summer and his departure is a blow to Liverpool as he had just returned to top form after an injury-hit start to the season, scoring seven goals in the last eight games of 2017 to put his side firmly in the Champions League places.

"It is no secret that Philippe has wanted this move to happen since July, when Barcelona first made their interest known," said Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp.

"Philippe was insistent with me, the owners and even his team-mates this was a move he was desperate to make happen."

Coutinho's signing allows Barca to move on from the bitter experience of losing his Brazil team-mate Neymar to Qatar-backed PSG.

Coutinho's age is also highly attractive to Barca with Messi, Suarez and Iniesta all in their thirties.

Liverpool have been tipped to quickly reinvest their windfall from the Coutinho sale.

Despite already paying Southampton £75 million for defender Virgil van Dijk, Klopp will be chasing an attacker with Leicester's Algerian winger Riyad Mahrez and Monaco midfielder Thomas Lemar already linked with a switch to Anfield.

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